Star Stuff
by sylph-feather
Summary: The nitrogen in our DNA, the calcium in our teeth, the iron in our blood, the carbon in our apple pies were made in the interiors of collapsing stars. We are made of star stuff. (carl sagan). OR: the paladins may be from different species, different planets, but that does not stop Voltron.
1. Rise of the Blue Lion

In another reality, both the steps leading up to Lance finding the mechanical lion sleeping in Earth's desert and his reaction would have been different— but this was not that reality.

In this story, Lance hears the call of the lion himself.

It dreams of danger, it dreams of him finding it. So he goes after it, half afraid if its real and half afraid that he is simply delusional; Lance is quite unsure which he wants.

He still tells his family about it, after a long hesitation— they seem to have the same fears as him.

If the lion of their long dead ancestor's ancient lore is crying out once again… what could it mean? Will they have to flee this blue-gem planet and settle somewhere else, just as their fleeing Altean ancestors did once before…?

They help Lance find the lion, hoping to defend their livelihood; at this point, they are more Earth-creatures than bound to Altea. Even if their blood lies in the stars, they've been here for 10,000 years— they will not leave. They will fight.

xXx

The lion's mythicality had fallen into such a realm of belief within Lance's family (and, unbeknownst to them, the rest of the universe). It was easy to see _why, _considering Lance's family had lived with stories and records passed down from ancestors who fled to earth in the Galra's takeover; they found somewhere to live where they could innocuously fit in with the locals, and soon enough each generation cared less and less about the life of those first Alteans. Their Altean blood became diluted and slowly, they became bound to earth; humans in every sense except a little blood— culturally, they were simply _people_, merely people with a bit odder family history than most.

Despite this, the thing was real… and Lance found it. It had dreamed of him, called him there— and without hesitation, it scooped the part-Altean boy up and flew away, leaving his stunned family behind.

xXx

What followed next was also familiar-yet-not: Lance, panicking and attempting to put his Garrison training into practice while the lion didn't follow controlled orders nor even listen to his pleaded begs to return him to his family. The difference: he was alone in the cockpit in this story, and his Altean eye marks were glowing with full panic.

xXx

"Please," he gulped as the thing approached a sparkling planet, quickly zeroing in on the white castle. "I know I'm like, part-Alt-whatever, and we're the ones who created you or whatever— but, ah, I just kind of want to go home?" The lion jolted, slowing down in preparation of landing. Lance continued to babble— "I have a nice life, and I'm not even the best pilot, but the Garrison training is fun, and I have friends and sisters and—" he was cut off upon the lion's rough _plop _onto the ground of the white castle's apparent landing bay. "I'm not getting out 'til you take me home," he groused at it.

And thus he sat there, tucked up in the pilot's seat with his arms folded defiantly.

After five minutes, the lion had enough, and launched the boy out of the seat with the emergency eject.

"_Fine!" _Lance snapped. "Stupid tin can. Why'd you even call to me, anyways? I'm barely even Altean and I just crashed my flight simulator today— I know you defend the universe and whatever, so why _me?" _

It had no answer.

xXx

Lance could pretty easily tell that this castle was Altean tech; he was no tech wizard by any means, but it looked similar to the ancient artifacts his mom hung onto. Despite being so old they still _mostly _worked, parceling out boring holographic historical records.

A short walk revealed to him the cryopods.

...Needless to say, Allura was surprised at being awakened by another Altean. Or at least… something that looked _vaguely _like an Altean…?

"Your ears are too round," she told him bluntly in Altean— naturally, he didn't understand her that well; Altean was a language he was rust at the very least in. Indeed, Lance's ears were a bit sharper than an average human's, but nowhere near the elf like length Allura's were; _his_ primary Altean feature were the blue cheek-marks below his eyes.

Lance blinked down at her, surprised— another Altean emerged, one with a ridiculous mustache, and informed the first that they'd been sleeping for 10,000 years.

Lance just watched on, confused at their too-fast gibberish as Allura and Coran mourned their lost culture.

Eventually, Allura sighed, turning her attention towards him— "I suppose we should get him a translator collar, shouldn't we?"

"That would be a good idea, princess," Coran agreed.

xXx

From there, Allura explained the lions, Voltron, Lance's new mission. Lance in turn explained why he looked vaguely like an Altean ("but smaller and uglier," in Allura's kind words) and capped it off with a depressed, "guess I don't get to go home just yet then, huh?" Hurriedly he added a formal, "princess," since he technically _was_ a subject (right…? Lance was unsure).

"No. We must locate the other paladins, and you must server as a knight of Voltron," Allura informed authoritatively.

"Defender of the universe!" Coran cawed grandly, throwing one arm around Lance and the other gesturing wildly.

"Great," Lance huffed.

**xXx**

**this is my first vld fic. i had this idea a while ago and now im kinda late to the party but eh? who cares tbh…**

**I didnt even watch the last season because of all the negativity and god knows if i will but this is an au so **_**screw canon. **_**it's probably going to be more slice of lifey jazz since it follows canon RELATIVELY well…**

**Anyways…. **

**yeah… **

**I'm looking for a name for this. Suggestions are open! **


	2. Rise of the Green Lion

"Our first move," Allura instructed the _odd _partial-Altean teen, "is to locate the paladins."

"You said that," he deadpanned. Lance looked around the castle, vague disinterest wafting off of him. "So am I signed on here like, forever? Can't I just—"

"No," Allura snapped, "for the third time, you _cannot _go home. You are a _sworn protector of the universe." _She bit back a comment about being thankful about _having _a home to go back to.

Lance gave a disbelieving snort. "I know… _something _happened to Alteans." He pointedly does not say _us. _"But really, what's that Voltron children's story got to do with me?"

"You being Altean has nothing to do with it," Coran steps in with clarification.

Allura takes over. "The Blue Lion has chosen you as her Paladin, and she is _real." _Allura steps closer, vaguely threatening— "the Galra threaten many worlds, including your home. Step up, and aid in defense!"

For a moment, Lance is invigorated before that same dejection sets in, and he finally voices his true thoughts— "if it doesn't have to do with me being Altean… then why _me?" _

"The lions choose," Coran offers; despite the repeated statement, his tone is soothing.

Lance gives a wan smile. "Defender of the universe," he says slowly, tasting the title on his tongue, rolling it in his mouth.

Allura allows herself to relieve some of her tension as she takes the helm of the Castle of Lions. "Yes. Now… let us find your kin in arms."

The star map illuminates around them, grandiose and beautiful. Allura and Coran go to business searching it, but Lance turns around in a slow circle to admire the projected stars as they spin around him.

The projection of the blue lion settles in front of his face, and he waves a finger through it, curious. His family had tech, yes, but it is small and the only things that have survived so long are the things that are durable and useful. Other than that… they'd been virtually human, in every way asides from genetics and the vague knowledge that something else was out there beyond the reaches of the stars. Humans did not have that confirmation, could only dream they were not as lonely as they seemed.

Granted, the Galra wouldn't act as a good confirmation of that. Lance frowned, picturing an earthly invasion, so many of those apocalypse movies come _true,_ and come true upon his family and home. _I have to do this,_ he realized, staring at the small yellow eyes of the lion intensely. _Defender of the universe,_ Lance repeated in his mind, even more determined.

"All this time and none of the lions have chosen a paladin," Allura bemoaned, jolting Lance out of his thoughts, prompting him to face the princess. She was looking at sets of graphs with Altean writings. Lance squinted, and though he couldn't read _all_ of it from his basic teachings, he got the gist that these were the logs of the lions, their check ins. Two of the five lions showed an option to go to the map— Blue was reported as _present, _as was the one with a black display, though it was reported as _present and locked. _The lion with a red display showed only as an _unknown. _

At his gazing, Allura explained, "alas, Black will not open herself until we have assembled the others."

"So we have two of them, and know where the other two are," Lance smiled, confident and sure. "This shouldn't be _too _hard."

"Yes," Allura allowed, giving a bit of a smile and allowing herself to be invigorated by Lance's optimism. "It shouldn't be." Her hands at the blue lit command center directed the castle to launch, launch for the first time in a thousand years.

"Wait," Lance barked, staring at the window like displays as the castle shook and rumbled, sediment around it crumbling— "this thing's a _ship?" _

xXx

Space proved to be a grand thing indeed. Lance looked down on the planet they left, a swirl of blues and greens as they jumped into a portal (and Lance wasn't a nerd, but he found it _so cool_).

The planet, the stars— so similar and yet so completely unfamiliar. Not for the first time in these crazy few hours, he pinched himself and tugged on his sharp ears, trying to wake himself up, _wanting _to wake up. The responsibility was so _daunting, _to even think of travelling the universe let alone _saving _it, especially when the question _why me _still nagged at Lance's mind.

Still, though, staring at the swirling abyss of the portal and an ocean of stars, Lance's thoughts couldn't help but drift to the notion that they were searching for others like him, other paladins. _Me. I'm a paladin. _

What would they be like? Lance couldn't picture them as anything other than human-ish figures, despite the likelihood of them being any odd variety of creatures. Most importantly, though, he zeroed in on skill and capability; _will they be better than me? Smarter, more capable? Will they prove that I'm as lost as I feel? _

He supposed he'd have his answer soon enough— the castle-ship (Lance still couldn't get over it, of that feeling of joy as the thing rumbled to life) zeroed in on a lush looking planet on the other side of the portal, hanging itself at the edge of the atmosphere.

"Take us in," Allura instructed Lance.

"Me?!" he exclaimed, ears tipping a bit in surprise.

"You have Blue, do you not?" Allura reminded with a flat look.

"Oh," was all Lance said.

"You must suit up," she prompted, leading him down a corridor. Lance, looking a bit like a lost dog, followed.

As they walked down the castle's corridor, Allura explained— "the traditional paladin garb is armor, matching that of the lions. It has defensive capabilities of shields, as well as several beneficial programs in it, including translation."

Lance marvelled as the corridor opened up to a room with several tubes— inside their displays rested five suits of armor.

"I assume I'm blue," he laughed, sidling up to the appropriate set of armor and leaning against the tube, projecting cockiness.

Allura continued, practically ignoring him. "Your weapon," she informed as another case rose, "is a bayard."

"They look small," Lance frowned, leaning in to view the case that held something that looked more like a large, glorified, futuristic knuckle guard.

"These will take a shape that fits you," Allura explained. As the case hissed open, she slid the blue colored bayard towards Lance.

"So," he started, drawing it out. Before he could finish with _what do I do, _the thing reshaped itself into a slight yet long futuristic looking gun, fitted with a technological scope atop it. He made an _ooh _sound, bringing it up to his face and aiming a few places. "This is _so cool." _

Allura gave a little scoff; were she not more dignified, perhaps she would've rolled her eyes. "Now," she said, leading an already awestruck Lance down the corridor to the hangar ziplines, "your lion awaits."

Lance laughed with joy the whole ride down to his lion, ziplining to the speeder before being brought to the hangar.

He stopped laughing looking at Blue, who sat serious and foreboding.

"Time for our first mission, huh," he murmured softly as he waited for Allura and Coran to join him.

xXx

Takeoff was… chaotic. The hangar opened, facing down towards the lush plants, and Lance pressed _way _too hard and took Blue at crazy speeds, plummeting her towards the planet.

Allura and Coran, space worthy as they were, even looked a bit startled and ill as Blue ricocheted through the sky as Lance attempted to figure out her controls.

"Ease up!" Coran instructed desperately. "Don't jerk the controls as much!"

Allura offered more nebulous advice— "the Lion's bond is mental, spiritual. You must bond with it."

Lance took Coran's advice. It brought them to a crash on the surface near the pointed marker, yes, but not as big of a crash as it _could've _been, and that was what mattered— to Lance and Coran, at least; Allura looked less than pleased.

"I'd count that as a success," Lance barked enthusiastically, trying to compensate as he planted a hand on the lion from the outside as he took in the destroyed plant life. "Yup," he nodded, kicking at the log of a felled tree with some weird fungal growths pulsing on its trunk. He frowned at the stuff, retracting his foot.

Allura held a hand to her face as Lance leaned cockily against his lion, wiggling his brows in showiness. "Let's locate the green lion," she gave a rough sigh. "Thankfully, you managed not to crash _too _far from the site."

"Crashed in _style," _Lance corrected, overinflated ego taking the wheel rather than the part of his brain that was screaming _I crashed on my first mission! _

Allura just marched off into the greenery.

xXx

"Good to know there's no escaping mosquitoes," Lance grumbled, smacking at the bright-blooded alien bugs that swarmed around him.

Allura paid no mind, completely still, gaze fixed ahead. Lance and Coran followed her eye, and found themselves halting as well.

"A spaceship," Lance murmured in awe. It was tucked neatly in the forest, all sleekness and angles, purple and sharp.

"It's Galra!" Allura barked, regaining herself and quickly ducking amongst the foliage.

"Are they trying to take the lion?" Coran wondered aloud, eyeing the ship.

"It's not gonna do anything," Lance huffed, staring at the pair crouching down. "It would've fired at us already, right?" They were out in obvious closeness, considering the foliage was so dense that they stumbled right upon the spaceship.

Allura squinted. "I suppose."

Still, she skirted the thing with carefulness.

As they got closer, Lance noted the whole thing had a bit of a scruffy look to it, worn around the edges, not to mention the whole thing had an odd tessellated texture.

Lance inched a little further, closer, curious.

And something angry _screeched, _piercingly. Allura, Coran, and Lance found themselves jumping as a small creature launched out of the trees, rolling on the ground.

"What are you doing with my ship?" it barked angrily, raspily.

"_Your_ ship," Allura haughtily stood up. "Your _Galra _ship."

Lance assumed from the tone that this thing was not a Galra. Now that they had stilled, he could tell they were… very _bird _like, a mash of that and a humanoid bipedal form. They had some kind of green flight suit on that gave way to feathers, which in turn gave way to taloned legs and arms. They had a hawkish tail that was puffed up angrily— as were the brown feathers on their head.

The creature held their sharp talons threateningly, like knives, and the two silvery bands with blue stones on their feathery arms gleamed. They looked out at the Alteans over circular framed glasses.

"What are you doing near my ship?" they repeated, beak clacking as they fluffed up indignantly. Their face— already fluffy by large swooshes of feathers swept back at the cheek— looked even spikier with that motion. Their throat, paler tan than the rest of them, bobbed up and down.

_Nervous, _Lance recognized.

"This is a Galra ship," Allura pointed out once again.

"Is there an echo in here?" Lance slid in, placing himself a little between the angry looking bird person and Allura.

"It's my ship _now," _the bird pointed out, though they did back off a little at the less harsh approach, seeming to understand the point of tension. "I use it to sneak around the Galra," they admitted, feathers smoothing down. The bird cocked their head at the group, inquisitive eyes shining beneath glasses. "What are you doing here? This planet is supposed to be uninhabited."

Allura looked down at the short bird person, evaluating. "I should've known you were a scrapper. I suppose the Aevee have not changed throughout the years," she dismissed, ignoring the question.

Lance looked at her in question.

"They're a race of junkers," Coran stepped up— "you know, taking and reinvigorating old ships and whatnot."

The bird crossed their arms, giving a snort through their beak, but didn't say anything else despite clear displeasure at the terms.

"We'll be on our way," Coran assured, edging off the purple ship.

The bird just narrowed their eyes, but let them go.

xXx

"The lion is this way," Allura said steadily, leading the way.

Lance glanced back, staring at the foliage they picked their way through, seeing no sign of the bird. "What was up with that person?" He grinned a little— "another alien," Lance muttered to himself.

"I'm not sure why it was here," Allura huffed. "And alone, too." At Lance's cocked head, she explained, "the Aevee typically travel in a large ship, roosting smaller ships and other tech within it." She paused. "I suppose a loner is not that abnormal, however."

"And they're like, engineers?" Lance clarified.

Allura frowned. "That— as well as thieves and sellouts," she huffed, glancing back as though also checking the bird wasn't following them. The forest merely rustles with wind.

Coran looked a bit uncomfortable at that proclamation, face twisting as he hopped over a fungi-covered log. "Old tech is old tech, and money is money," he asserted.

Allura did not dignify that with a concrete answer, just a light huff.

xXx

The Alteans were expecting the green lion, glimpsed only in metal flashes from where it slept in the overgrowth. What they did not expect was a reappearance of the Aevee.

They _dropped from the sky, _bracelets shimmering as they croaked, "I wondered if you'd lead me to it." As the rest of them gaped, the bird continued— "why else would anyone be here, if not tracking down signals from strange tech?"

"_You've _been getting signals," Allura echoed disbelievingly, running a hand down her face exasperatedly.

"Well it took a lot to interpret them, but yes." The bird cocked their head. "I assume you have as well, given you're here." The bird hunched down in a bit of a nervy, fighting position. "Let me strip it _some, _we can discuss dividing it—!"

"The lion will _not _be _stripped," _Allura barked indignantly.

The bird's black beak spat out a scoff. "It's not like it's been used in a long while," they sensibly observed, pointing out the obvious overgrowth covering the thing. "It may as well be mine— er, yours, since we're splitting."

"Oh," Allura sighed, running her hands through her dress, "its yours alright." _Unfortunately _was left unsaid, but not unheard.

The bird stared, golden eyes flicking between Allura and the ship. "I feel like I'm missing something," they admit— "so you _don't _want to go splitsies, _do _want me to have whatever is under here that _you _also sought out, but _don't _want me to strip anything of it?" The creature paused.

"I'm lost, too," Lance admitted.

"It was not _my _decision to give the lion to you," Allura clarified. "_She _chose." The princess eyed the small bird creature in front of her. "The lions work in mysterious ways," she muttered.

"Wait," Lance cut in, waving his hands in the air in a _stop, hold on _motion, "are you telling me _this _is the Green Paladin?" He eyed the gremlin of that tiny, angry bird in front of him with a restrained giggle.

"Paladin—? I still feel like I'm missing something," the bird announced, eyeing the group warily, once again brandishing their talons as a weapon.

Before any more conversation could be had, a feathery elbow brushed against steel, and great yellow eyes burst to life.

With a rumble, the great machine shook itself loose of its confines. Thick vines tumbled to the ground as the bird scrambled back, undignified squawk.

"_We _didn't choose you. The lion chose," Allura said tiredly.

"Welcome to Voltron, defenders of the universe, destroyers of the Galra," Lance elbowed the lightweight, stunned creature.

"That's just a kid's story," they said slowly— but only so much that one could deny when the evidence stood gigantic above them, staring at them with piercing yellow eyes.

"That's what I said," Lance balked with a nod. He leaned against the short bird, draping and elbow against their head much to their clear irritation (if the brandished claws were anything to go by). "Turns out, not a myth." He held his other hand out and down.

Hesitantly, the other gripped it. Lance was thankful he was wearing armor, because their claws clinked against his hand as he gave their yellow taloned hand a firm shake, fingers brushing at the silver bracelet.

"Pidge," the bird introduced.

"You don't look like much of a pigeon," Lance sniped, taking in the pointed beak and sharp claws— "more like a hawk."

"That didn't translate," the bird informed him, cocking their head at him.

"Nevermind," Lance brushed off. He cocked his head at them, then to Allura and Coran, and finally to the looming lion. "You're taking all this rather well."

"I just can't wait to get my hands on that tech," the bird grinned ferally, which Lance did not know was possible with a beak.

Allura groaned in the background. "You will _not _be disassembling the lion," she repeated firmly.

Pidge brushed at the lion's foot, grin becoming something a little soft yet still full of harsh edge— "you said I'd get to destroy Galra, though?"

"They are our primary enemy," Allura confirmed, "after all, their attempts to—"

"I'm in," Pidge interrupted, eyes sparkling with violence. Lance twitched as their sharp talons flexed eagerly.

"Paladin buddies," Lance barked, rocking onto Pidge once more. He received a halfhearted shove.

"I'm still bringing my ship, though," they insisted in a sharp voice that left no room for argument, "so we need to take multiple trips."

Allura and Coran both turned green at the thought of coming down under Lance's piloting once again.

xXx

**This finally has a name, oh joy! I'm back, baby! **

**Anyways, slowly collecting Paladins like pokemon cards. Their meetings are more hectic, given that they're from all over the place.**

**I **_**know **_**Pidge's "mirror species" in canon was the Alkari, but **_**ehh. **_**In this one, Pidge looks basically like a Rito from breath of the wild, just with claw hands instead of wing hands— Pidge is, specifically, close to a Cooper's hawk (though more tan, closer to the canon Pidge's colors). **


End file.
